The Bell X-1 is a rocket engine–powered aircraft, designated originally as the XS-1, and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics–U.S. Army Air Forces–U.S. Air Force supersonic research project built by Bell Aircraft. Conceived during 1944 and designed and built in 1945, it achieved a speed of nearly 1,000 miles per hour in 1948. A derivative of this same design, the Bell X-1A, having greater fuel capacity and hence longer rocket burning time, exceeded 1,600 miles per hour in 1954. The X-1 aircraft #46-062, nicknamed Glamorous Glennis and flown by Chuck Yeager, was the first piloted airplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight and was the first of the X-planes, a series of American experimental rocket planes designed for testing new technologies.
Flying the Bell X-1 over Muroc Army Air Field in California, Captain Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in level flight, reaching Mach 1.05.
On October 14, in the year 1947, Flying the Bell X-1 over Muroc Army Air Field in California, Captain Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in level flight, reaching Mach 1.05. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 14, one of 449 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on October 14, 1947 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 5 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 11 September 2026.
On This Date in History 449
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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